This $60 home security camera with facial recognition rivals a $299 one — here's why

If you’re in the market for a top-rated home security camera that won’t cost several hundred dollars, you’re in luck.

At a reasonable $60, the Tend Insights Lynx Indoor 2 Indoor WiFi Security Camera is a steal compared to the higher-end Nest Cam IQ Indoor Security Camera ($299). And even though it’s one-fifth the price, you can still expect similar functions including face recognition, cloud storage, night vision and two-way audio. With a 125-degree field of view and up to 20 feet of night vision, this 3-inch tall camera proves that good things come in small packages.

It lacks the ability to integrate with other smart home devices, but that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. The home security camera delivers color 1080p video straight to your phone using the Tend Secure mobile app (available for iOS and Android).

But the Lynx stands apart from its similarly priced counterparts mainly for its facial recognition feature. It’s unique in that it can identify familiar faces but gives users the option to add facial profiles by using their phone’s camera, photo album or tagging photos taken by the Lynx. Once a profile is set up, it sends check-in notifications when recognized by the camera (unfamiliar faces will show up with a question mark) in addition to the motion-triggered notification feature. Those alerts also trigger the camera to record and store the video clips to the free seven-day cloud storage.

Bottom line: This home security camera is small but delivers big features and quality performance, and is a great value.